Steve Gaines Steve Gaines serves as the Senior Pastor at Bellevue Baptist Church, Memphis, TN and the current president of the Southern Baptist Convention. He has served in four churches as senior pastor over the past 30 years. He holds a Ph.D. in Preaching from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Ft. Worth, TX. Steve is married to Donna Gaines and they have four children.
Jim Cymbala Pastor Jim Cymbala is a native New Yorker, raised in the borough of Brooklyn. His early love of basketball earned him a scholarship to the University of Rhode Island, where he became captain of the basketball team. After graduation, he immediately entered the business world and, soon after, he married his childhood sweetheart, Carol Joy Hutchins. Pastor Cymbala and Carol began their lives together and before long, though he did not have formal theological training, Pastor Cymbala felt a call to the ministry.
Robert Smith Robert Smith, Jr. serves as Charles T. Carter Baptist Chair of Divinity Beeson Divinity School where he teaches Christian Preaching. Previously he served as the Carl E. Bates Associate Professor of Christian Preaching at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. A popular teacher and preacher, he received Southern s 1996 Findley B. Edge Award for Teaching Excellence. An ordained Baptist minister, he served as pastor of the New Mission Missionary Baptist Church in Cincinnati, OH for twenty years. He earned his Ph.D. while serving as pastor. He is a contributing editor for a study of Christian ministry in the African American church, Preparing for Christian Ministry, and co-editor of A Mighty Long Journey.
Vance Pitman Vance Pitman serves as pastor of Hope Church, Las Vegas, NV: Vance responded to God s call to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2000, as a church plant from First Baptist Church in Woodstock, Georgia. Raised in a Christian home and mentored by his father, a Southern Baptist Minister, Vance surrendered control of his life to Jesus Christ at age seventeen. At age eighteen, in response to God s call, he relinquished his life to preach the Gospel, and vowed to serve the Lord the rest of his life. He was licensed to the Gospel ministry on December 12, 1990 and ordained to the Gospel ministry on June 22, 1994 at First Baptist Church, Muscle Shoals, Alabama. He holds a Bachelor s Degree, with a major in History and a minor in Business Management, from the University of North Alabama, and a Master s Degree in Divinity from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. Herb Reavis Dr. Herb Reavis, Jr. was born and raised in the panhandle of Texas. He is a graduate of the Moody Bible Institute, Milligan College and the Southern Baptist School for Biblical Studies. He became the Senior Pastor of North Jacksonville Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida in 1991. He and his wife Lisa have three married sons, Joshua, Jonathan, and Joseph. Pastor Reavis spreads the Gospel locally on radio and TV through the broadcast Reach Out.
Todd Cook Todd Cook is the founding and Senior Pastor of Sagebrush Community Church in Albuquerque New Mexico. He has been married to his wife Christy for 23 years and has three daughters. Sagebrush Community Church began in 1999 with 120 people and has grown over the past 17 years to over 13,000 in attendance every week. Last year Sagebrush baptized over 1,700 people and saw over 2,000 people take ownership in the churches mission of knowing Christ and making Christ known. Sagebrush currently has 8 multi-site campuses all over the state of New Mexico and one campus in San Pedro, Belize. Todd's passion is to help those who are far from Christ understand how amazing and awesome our God is. He desperately wants the people of Sagebrush to not only be hears of the word of God but doers of the Word of God. David McKinney Associate Global Worship Pastor Campus: Springdale / Pinnacle Hills / Fayetteville Follow Me On Twitter Follow Me On Facebook Send Me An Email When I joined the Cross Church staff: June 2011
What areas of ministry I work in: Worship Ministry My Family: I have been married to Rachel for 5 years, and we have 2 children Macy-Beth (2) and Mack who will be a year old on February 26, 2015. When I was saved: With child-like faith, I accepted Jesus' sacrifice for my life when I was 8 years old and was baptized a week after that. Through the guidance of my parents, I grew in relationship with the Lord, but it wasn't until I went off to college that my relationship began to blossom as my own. It has been incredible to see my relationship with Him grow daily, and I'm humbled to have been called at such an early age! Education: I have 2 degrees in Worship and Music Ministry from Liberty University and Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. Previous Lines of Work: I was the Campus Worship Pastor at Liberty University for 6 years before coming to Cross Church. Favorite Food: Crab Legs or ice cream. Favorite Snack Food: Anything chocolate (especially peanut butter and chocolate)! Favorite Place in the World: Tropical - Abacaxi River in Amazonas, Brazil; Mountainous - Zermatt, Switzerland Favorite Place to Pray: Anywhere with my wife. Favorite Hobbies: I LOVE duck hunting, trout fishing, gardening, and pretty much anything outside. Favorite Sports Team: This is Razorback Nation, baby!!!! WOO PIG! Favorite Bible Story: Jesus washing the disciples' feet. Best Advice Someone Gave Me: "It's all about Jesus." Life Verse: Philippians 2 One of My Greatest Experiences with God: Marriage Most people don't know this about me: I was one of 3 students to place items in the time capsule and be present at the ground breaking ceremony of the Bi-Lo Center in Greenville, SC in 1996. The one book (besides the Bible) I'd recommend to anyone is: The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer